The present invention relates to display hangers for detachable engagement with a perforated display panel generally known as a Peg Board, which is provided with regularly spaced perforations arranged in horizontal and vertical rows.
The hangers with which the invention is concerned are generally used for the display of carded or bagged merchandise and comprise a hanger member having an elongate hanger arm adapted to extend outwardly from the panel and substantially perpendicular to the plane thereof for supporting the articles to be displayed, the hanger member being connected to a bracker member adapted to be removably anchored to the panel through a pair of horizontally disposed perforations. The invention is more particularly directed to such a display hanger in which the hanger member and bracket member are pivotally coupled together so as to enable the unit as a whole to be engaged with or disengaged from the panel without tilting the hanger arm to an extent that would disturbe upwardly adjacent units or their contents.
It is apparent that a horizontally projecting rod such as the hanger arm component of the above display hanger when it is empty presents a hazard since it is most often hidden from view by the merchandise displayed by adjacent units. Accidents have indeed occured as a result of persons bending forward to pick-up a displayed article and inadvertently colliding with such a hidden hanger arm, causing bodily injuries particularly to the head.
The prior art in connection with such display hangers is, in general, well developed and many varieties thereof are commercially available on the market. None of the commercially available hangers, however, obviate the above-mentioned problem in a simple, convenient and economic manner.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,204 of Mar. 27, 1979, for instance, there is described a foldable display hanger in which the hanger arm is pivotally connected to a mounting bracket removably anchored to a display panel for vertical pivotal movement of the hanger arm between a display position whereat the hanger arm extends outwardly from the panel and a retracted position whereat it is folded upward to lie flat against the panel. The hanger arm is constructed of a generally U-shaped wire, the ends of which are bent to form pivot shafts. These pivot shafts are received in axially aligned openings formed in spaced apart side plates of the mounting bracket, to provide for the desired pivotal mounting of the display hanger. A supporting bar extends between the lower front edge portions of the respective side plates and serves to rigidly support the hanger arm in its extended position.
Although the primary purpose of the foldable display hanger described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,204 is to provide preassembled display panels on which the display hangers are prearranged in the folded position and thus in a highly compact form for shipment to a merchandise retail store at minimum cost, it is apparent that the proposed display hangers when they are empty in the retail store can be folded so as to prevent the hanger arms from causing injuries to customers or catching in customers' garments. A major drawback of such a construction, however, is that it requires significant overhead clearance so as to permit the hanger arm to swing upwardly to the vertical folded position. Thus, it cannot be used where the merchandise to be displayed must be arranged in closely spaced vertical rows, as is often the case, since the presence of an upwardly adjacent unit located in the pivotal path of the hanger arm as it is swung upwardly will interfer with its pivotal movement and prevent it from being folded against the panel. Also, since the bar rigidly supporting the hanger arm in the outwardly extended position prevents the mounting bracket from pivoting about a horizontal axis relative to the hanger arm, such a foldable display hanger has a further disadvantage that it cannot be engaged with or disengaged from the panel in the manner described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,275,272 and 3,289,993, which enables the mounting bracket to be anchored to or release from the panel in an arcuate movement while the hanger arm is maintained substantially perpendicular to the plane of the panel, so as to avoid disturbing upwardly adjacent units or their contents.